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A Holocaust-denying Catholic bishop who made headlines in 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated him and members of his breakaway traditionalist society is heading for new trouble with the Vatican. Bishop Richard Williamson is planning to consecrate a new bishop Thursday in Brazil without Pope Francis' consent — a church crime punishable by excommunication. The Rev. Rene Miguel Trincado Cvjetkovic confirmed the planned consecration of the Rev. Christian Jean-Michel Faure in an email to The Associated Press. The consecration was first reported by the traditionalist blog Rorate Caeli. Williamson, Trincado and Faure have all been, or are in the process of being, kicked out of...

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A Holocaust-denying Catholic bishop who made headlines in 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated him and members of his breakaway traditionalist society is heading for new trouble with the Vatican. Bishop Richard Williamson is planning to consecrate...

Pope Francis on Friday marked the second anniversary of his surprise election by predicting that he won't be pope for long — and by calling a special Jubilee Year to focus the church on his top priority while he's still around: mercy.
"I have the...

Pope Francis marks his second anniversary Friday riding a wave of popularity that has reinvigorated the Catholic Church in ways not seen since the days of St. John Paul II. He's also entering a challenging third year, facing dissent from within on...

In a landmark event that could have many holding their breath, Pope Francis has agreed to address a joint meeting of Congress this fall. That sets the stage for an oration by an outspoken pontiff whose views on immigration and global warming clash with...

It was a heartwarming story for legions of pet owners and animal lovers around the world.Pope Francis, talking to a distraught boy whose pet had died, declared there was a place in heaven for the creatures we share our lives with. His comment was reported...

A long-awaited report on American nuns released by the Vatican on Tuesday is being seen as an encouraging and realistic assessment of women who take vows to the church, while also urging them to adhere to Roman Catholic doctrine.
"It is not a...

In a dramatic shift in tone, a Vatican document said on Monday that homosexuals had "gifts and qualities to offer" and asked if Catholicism could accept gays and recognize positive aspects of same-sex couples.Roman Catholic gay rights groups...

Pope Francis on Monday launched a stunning attack on the cardinals, bishops and priests who run the Vatican, accusing them of succumbing to greed, jealousy, hypocrisy, cowardice and “spiritual Alzheimer's.”
In a pre-Christmas speech to the officials of...

During his earliest steps toward becoming Chicago's next archbishop, Blase Cupich wasn't sure religious life was for him.
As a boy growing up in Nebraska, he and his siblings listened as their father urged them to consider a vocation in the Catholic...

The Benedictine sisters at St. Scholastica Monastery in Rogers Park breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday when the Vatican released its long-awaited report on American nuns.Two Vatican investigators had spent two days at the Benedictine monastery in May...

What does an archbishop do when he retires? Chicagoans will be finding out for the first time, with Cardinal Francis George being the first to reach that milestone in the local church's 124-year history as an archdiocese.
George officially retired Nov....

Pope Francis has closed an assembly of Catholic bishops that revealed deep divisions on how to respond to homosexuality and divorce, saying Sunday the Church should not be afraid of change and new challenges.
Francis, who has said he wants a more...

Thirty-one days, 64 games, 12 cities, 171 goals and one bizarre assault, with Uruguay's Luis Suarez biting an Italian opponent. This World Cup had it all.
Brazil, the host country, proved to be better at party planning than at soccer (who would have...

Pope Francis married 20 couples Sunday, some of whom had already lived together and had children, in the latest sign that the Argentine pontiff wants the Catholic church to be more open and inclusive.
In the first wedding he has performed in his...

VATICAN CITY — He wades into crowds without hesitation, shaking hands and kissing babies. He cracks jokes and delivers unscripted remarks, to the occasional dismay of staffers scrambling to keep up.
Four months in office, Pope Francis is engaged in...

People recognized St. Jeanne Jugan by the begging basket she carried while walking down the roads of Brittany, in northwest France, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Going from door to door, Jugan would ask people for money, gifts — whatever...

ROME - "SILENZIO!" says the sign just past the massive bronze doors marking the entrance to St. Mary and the Martyrs Catholic Church in Rome, one of the two or three most important churches in Christian history. The sign reminds all that this is...

VIENNA — For years in his Austrian homeland the tabloid papers affectionately referred to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as "Our Arnie." On Tuesday, after he refused to pardon convicted murderer Stanley Tookie Williams, a headline on...

Pope Benedict XVI selected yesterday a San Francisco bishop with a reputation as a conservative theologian to take over his former job - one of the most powerful in the Catholic hierarchy and instrumental in shaping the direction of the church.
...

Text of the homily read, in Italian, by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, during the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II. Translation provided by the Vatican:
"Follow me." The Risen Lord says these words to Peter....